Vermont Public is independent, community-supported media, serving Vermont with trusted, relevant and essential information. We share stories that bring people together, from every corner of our region. New to Vermont Public? Start here.

© 2024 Vermont Public | 365 Troy Ave. Colchester, VT 05446

Public Files:
WVTI · WOXM · WVBA · WVNK · WVTQ · WVTX
WVPR · WRVT · WOXR · WNCH · WVPA
WVPS · WVXR · WETK · WVTB · WVER
WVER-FM · WVLR-FM · WBTN-FM

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@vermontpublic.org or call 802-655-9451.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Breaks Ground

Work is finally about to start on a four-season recreation trail  proposed  to span northern Vermont. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail has been on the drawing board  for over a decade, and on Friday there was a ground-breaking ceremony in St. Johnsbury.

From 1877 to 1994,  trains rumbled  through this  corridor between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. Now the railbed is  covered with weeds. But in a few years, organizers, including the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, or VAST,  hope it will be a gravel thoroughfare for  all kinds of  travelers- on foot, bikes, snowmobiles, skis, horses—even dogsleds.

At the groundbreaking, Senator Bernie Sanders recalled  the many financial and regulatory obstacles that have slowed progress.   But he sees a bright future for the scenic multi-use trail.

“What excited me is imagining a 93-mile path going from one side of the state--St. Johnsbury--to Swanton—that is extraordinary. And even more importantly the path is going to open up vistas that people have not seen in decades. Incredibly beautiful vistas,” Sanders said.

Sanders also expects the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail to provide a year round boost to local economies. The trail is strategically located, as LVRT Committee Chair Laird MacDowell explained.

“The rail trail will also include crossings in Johnson of the Long Trail and also the Catamount Trail, and most of the VAST trails  are north south, so look at this as like a big interstate connecting all these trails, all these north-south trails,” MacDowell said.

MacDowell, Sanders, and VAST  Executive Director Alexis Nelson picked up shiny new shovels and tapped  the ground near a bridge that will be re-built to begin phase one of construction, a fifteen-mile section between St. Johnsbury and Danville. It should be ready for snowmobiling this winter. 

The federal government has kicked in 5.2 million dollars, and FEMA has come up with additional funds to repair storm –ravaged sections. But to finish the project, organizers will have to raise a few million more. Fundraising and construction could take years. But as audience members remarked, getting this far hasn’t been easy, and they don’t plan to give up now.

Charlotte Albright lives in Lyndonville and currently works in the Office of Communication at Dartmouth College. She was a VPR reporter from 2012 - 2015, covering the Upper Valley and the Northeast Kingdom. Prior to that she freelanced for VPR for several years.
Latest Stories